


Three Words For You

by Jecari



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29081877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jecari/pseuds/Jecari
Summary: Eddie doesn't always know how to express his feelings, but Buck's discovery might be the perfect way to finally tell him that he loves him.Where words fail, music speaks.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 129
Collections: 9-1-1 Server Gift Exchange 2020





	Three Words For You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [benjaminrussell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/benjaminrussell/gifts).



> Here's my gift for Holly, as part of the 911 Server Gift Exchange. Hope you like it! 
> 
> Beta'd by the lovely [ Marciaelena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marciaelena), thank you so much!
> 
> Enjoy ♥

For all the time they spend together, Buck and Eddie are rarely alone. When they aren’t in a crowd of colleagues and friends, they’re spending time with Christopher. Strangely, that works for them _. They_ make it work. Their relationship isn’t about dates in fancy restaurants or romantic getaways, but quiet nights in and shared private moments. It’s different from anything Eddie’s ever known before, natural and effortless. It’s unique, deep in ways a lot of people don’t understand.

Even their friends like to make jokes about it. They tease them by comparing them to an old couple who’s lost their spark. Maybe that’s how Eddie and Buck act, but Eddie doesn’t mind. Those rare moments they get to spend alone might seem boring to everyone else, but they are special to them. In those moments they need nothing more than each other.

And the spark? It’s very much there. It’s a steady flame, hot and vibrant and always burning.

“Stop it,” Eddie complains, trying to get out of Buck’s reach.

It’s a crisp autumn night that they get to spend alone. Christopher is sleeping at a friend’s, and when Buck turned down Maddie’s dinner invitation earlier Eddie knew what to expect. Unsurprisingly, Buck showed up at his doorstep about half an hour after the end of their shift, a brown paper bag full of food in his hand and a beautiful smile on his face. They shared dinner at the kitchen table, then moved to the couch to watch a movie neither of them has really been paying attention to.

“I’m cold,” Buck whines.

He scoots closer to Eddie, trying to sneak his hands back under Eddie’s henley. It’s not even that cold outside, yet Buck’s hands are freezing. Since autumn’s arrived and the temperature’s started dropping, that seems to be Buck’s favorite way to warm his ridiculously cold hands. Eddie loves it, but pretending he doesn’t is a lot more fun. The chill of Buck’s fingers might be unpleasant at first, but the touch is nice. The fire it sparks inside Eddie’s body makes up for it.

“I am not a human heater.”

Eddie would move further away if he could, but he’s trapped. His lower back is pressed against the couch’s arm and Buck is kneeling between his legs. He’s still trying to warm his hands thanks to Eddie’s body’s heat, getting closer and closer.

“But you’re warm,” Buck argues, then pauses. His pout turns into a coy smile Eddie knows all too well. “You’re hot,” he adds with a wink.

Eddie snorts but fights the urge to roll his eyes at his boyfriend. Leaning in, Buck seems proud of himself. His smug smile and mischievous eyes are the last things Eddie sees before his eyes flutter closed. Eddie lets Buck kiss him tenderly, his hands traveling up to cup Buck’s face as he kisses him back.

If they weren’t so exhausted after such a long, intense shift, there would be fewer clothes involved, but Eddie can tell that Buck isn’t expecting more from the way he’s kissing him. Right now, both of them are happy with just this: slow kisses and soft touches.

That is, until Buck takes advantage of Eddie’s inattention to slip his hands under his henley again. Cold fingers press against warm skin, sending a shiver through Eddie’s body. He hisses in discomfort and his eyes snap open to glare at Buck.

“Just go get a blanket from my closet,” Eddie groans, trying to get Buck’s hands out of his shirt.

“Fine,” Buck says, sighing. “But I’m not sharing it with you.”

This time Eddie gives in to the urge to roll his eyes at Buck, even though Buck can’t see him as he heads for the bedroom. No matter what he claims, Eddie knows that in a few minutes they’ll both be wrapped in a blanket, and Buck’s hands will be back under his shirt.

When the upbeat music announcing the end of the movie starts Eddie realizes that Buck has been gone for too long. Frowning, he turns off the TV, then the lights before walking down the hallway. Eddie expects to find Buck asleep on the bed—it wouldn’t be the first time Buck’s unexpectedly dozed off—but stepping into the bedroom he sees that Buck is very much awake, sitting on the floor with his back turned to the door. There’s a folded blanket beside him, and he’s looking down at something.

Walking closer, Eddie instantly recognizes the black guitar case covered with stickers. It’s the exact same one he used to carry with him everywhere he went when he was younger. Eddie had almost forgotten he still had it until now. He hasn’t opened it in years, a whole decade, maybe, but he remembers the feeling of polished wood under his fingers so clearly. The memory puts a nostalgic smile on his face.

“Is it yours?” Buck asks when Eddie kneels next to him.

As Eddie nods in answer, he notices Buck’s body shiver, and he’s suddenly aware of the difference in temperature between the living room and here. If Buck was cold before he must be freezing now, yet the blanket is still folded, resting on the floor between them. Eddie picks it up with a fond smile, knowing Buck’s tendency to get distracted. He wraps it around Buck’s shoulders and presses a kiss to his temple. Buck sighs contentedly as Eddie sits down next to him and brings his attention back to the guitar case. He opens it instinctively, and looks at the acoustic guitar inside it. 

“I didn’t know you could play.” Buck sounds slightly disappointed, but he leans over the case to look at the guitar too.

“I was in a band when I was in high school,” Eddie explains, taking the guitar out and settling it on his lap. “It was a long time ago. I kinda forgot I kept it.”

“You? You were in a band?” Buck looks as surprised as he sounds, eyes wide as he stares at Eddie.

“Yes,” Eddie says with a chuckle. “And we were pretty good.”

Buck’s eyes narrow, and he looks between Eddie and the guitar. “I can’t see it,” he declares, moving to face Eddie. “Prove it.”

The challenge makes Eddie hesitate. “I haven’t played in years,” he says, nervousness settling in his stomach. He hasn’t touched the guitar in so long that it’s probably out of tune. He can easily fix that, but he’s rusty. While his mind might remember the chords, he’s not sure his fingers do. He’d hate to make a fool of himself in front of Buck. But he’d hate to disappoint him even more, and somehow this seems important to Buck.

“Please,” Buck insists, giving Eddie an expectant look.

Buck’s plea is more effective than his challenging tone; Eddie can’t resist it. Sighing to gather his courage, he places his fingers on the fretboard. When he tries to play a few chords they sound nothing like they’re supposed to, confirming his suspicion that the guitar is out of tune.

With a little bit of focus Eddie’s old habits come back. His tuner is long gone, so he relies on his ears to tune the guitar, playing around with the tuning pegs until he’s satisfied. When he brings his attention back to Buck’s face, Eddie finds him focused on his hands on the instrument.

“What do you want me to play?” Eddie asks, playing random chords as a warm-up. 

“Anything you want,” Buck says, smiling.

Despite Buck’s encouraging smile, Eddie’s nervousness returns. His insides clench and he feels a weight settle in his chest. For some reason this feels like a test to Eddie, as if whatever song he’s about to play will be more than a simple song. Eddie’s aware he’s reading too much into this; he’s the only one putting pressure on himself, but he can’t help it. He wants this moment to mean something.

Music has always meant a lot to him, even after all this time without having played the guitar. It used to be his only outlet, a way to express himself when words failed him. Right here, right now, staring into Buck’s blue eyes, it feels like that again. 

The guitar feels oddly heavy on Eddie’s lap as he thinks about what he’d like to tell Buck. He quickly realizes that there’s so much he wants to say, so much he feels for this man. It’s not like he’s never thought about it before, but with the instrument in his hands, he thinks about his feelings differently. He settles on one thing, three words that have been on the tip of his tongue for a while now. Three words that he’s been too scared to say.

_I love you._

His mind made up, Eddie takes a deep breath and clears his throat. He chooses a classic, a love song that’s been played and sung over and over again for decades. It’s a safe choice, a little bit cliché, but it comes from his heart.

At first Eddie simply hums along with the melody he’s playing, but when he starts singing Buck’s jaw drops and his eyes widen in surprise again. Buck’s reaction puts a smug smile on Eddie’s face, and his voice grows louder as he gets more confident. 

As the song progresses, Eddie’s eyes don’t leave Buck’s. The words might be someone else’s, but the message is his. The feelings he’s singing out, hoping Buck understands how strong and heartfelt they are, are his.

Eddie watches the surprise disappear from Buck’s face, replaced by an intense, focused look as he listens to Eddie sing. Slowly, that look turns into the softest expression Eddie’s ever seen on his boyfriend’s face, and Eddie instantly knows what it means: Buck understands. 

After the last note fades Eddie puts the guitar back in the case just in time to catch Buck as he lurches forward, the blanket sliding off his shoulders. Their lips meet, and Eddie wraps his arms around Buck’s waist as Buck’s hands come up to cup his face. The kiss is nothing like Eddie’s ever experienced before. It’s tender and passionate, soft and hard. It’s everything.

As Eddie tried to express his love for Buck with a song, Buck’s trying to do it with this kiss; Eddie’s never felt so loved. His heart is beating so fast in his chest, pure joy rushing through his veins. Right here, right now, all that matters is Buck, their love, and this kiss that Eddie wishes could last forever. When the kiss is over Eddie can’t stop the disappointed whimper that slips past his lips. Buck smiles and quickly kisses Eddie’s lips once more.

Still holding Eddie’s face between his hands, Buck pulls away just enough to get a good look at him. Eddie’s always overwhelmed when Buck stares at him like this, torn between the urge to look away and the need to hold Buck’s gaze. This time Eddie is mesmerized, and all he can do is hold his breath and keep looking. He feels exposed like this, vulnerable, but he willingly stays still. It’s an unspoken conversation, an invisible connection that’s always been there but grows stronger now with each passing second. 

Eddie loses himself in Buck’s eyes. He doesn’t know how long it lasts—seconds that feel like an eternity or an eternity that feels like seconds—but eventually, the moment ends. It’s interrupted by Buck’s soft laughter. 

“What?” Eddie asks, looking up at Buck as he stands up.

Instead of answering, Buck holds out his hand to Eddie. A bright smile spreads across Buck’s face as Eddie takes his hand and gets to his feet, picking up the blanket in the process. When he puts it back around Buck’s shoulders, Buck shrugs it off. 

“I’m not cold anymore,” Buck says, taking a step forward. “I have my own human heater, remember? The best one.”

Pressing his body against Eddie’s, Buck slides his hands under Eddie’s shirt, resting them on his lower back. With their bodies so close Eddie swears he can feel Buck’s heart racing against his chest. When Buck slightly pulls away and stares into his eyes again with a whole new intensity, Eddie’s pulse picks up. Their heartbeats fall into sync, singing a love song of their own. 

“I love you,” Buck breathes out. “I love you so much.”

And even though Eddie’s always known those words were there between them, unspoken, they never felt so powerful before. It’s like saying them out loud can make the world a better place. _Buck_ makes Eddie’s world a better place, that’s undeniable. 

Basking in the warmth of this moment, Eddie takes his boyfriend in. From the spark in his eyes to the soft look on his face, Buck’s never looked so open, and Eddie can’t keep himself from opening his own heart and welcoming Buck in. 

“I love you, too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [ Tumblr ](https://depthandcharacter.tumblr.com)!
> 
> Comments and Kuddos are always appreciated and cherished, your love and support keep me writing! ♥


End file.
